As the "Maharashtra bandh" called by the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) protest against the Lakhimpur Kheri incident evoked a good response across the State on Monday, the ruling alliance partners and the Opposition BJP exchanged barbs over the “success” of the bandh.
While Shiv Sena spokesperson and MP Sanjay Raut termed the bandh a “100 per cent success”, leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly Devendra Fadnavis charged that the ruling MVA had “threatened” and “coerced” the traders and businessmen into downing their shutters on the bandh day.
Though the bandh was by-large peaceful across the state, there were sporadic incidents like stoning eight BEST and one leased bus in Mumbai and a clash that broke between the ruling MVA and Opposition BJP workers at Bhusawal in north Maharashtra.
“The people across the State have wholeheartedly participated in the bandh. True. Some minor incidents have taken place during the bandh. Such minor incidents take place during protests all over the world,” Raut said.
Hitting out at the ruling MVA, Fadnavis said: “This is nothing but a state-sponsored bandh that has been imposed on the people and implemented with the help of the State administration. The ruling coalition misused the police to impose the shutdown on people”./
“Since the Supreme Court and Bombay High Court had earlier banned the bandhs and even imposed fine on the Shiv Sena, we urge the high court to take cognisance of today’s developments,” Fadnavis said.
The buses, taxies and autorickshaws went off the roads, hotels, business establishments and markets remained by and large closed across the state. However, few shops and eateries remained open during the day.
Maharashtra Minister and NCP leader Jayant Patil stated that essential services had been exempted from the shut down and the bandh passed off peacefully\
Distancing rthe MVA government from the bandh, the senior minister said: "The government had nothing to do with the bandh. The three parties –Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress had called the bandh.